Co in-controlled telephon e-reg ister



Patented lune 13, I899.

amven vi ow T. J. HOCK & E. HAPPERSBERGEB. OOIN CONTROLLED TELEPHONE REGISTER.

(Application filed July 20, 1898.)

(No Model.)

y i I NITED STATES Futon.

PATENT TOBIAS J. IIOCK AND EMIL HAPPERSBERGER, OF SAN FRANCISCO,

CALIFORNIA.

COIN-CONTROLLED TELEPHONE REGISTER.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 626,809, dated. June 13, 1899.

Application filed July 20, 1898. Serial No. 686,400. (No model.)

To all whom ivfmay concern:

Be it known that we, TOBIAS J. IIOCK and EMIL HAPPERSBERGER, citizens of the United States, residing in the city and county of San- Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Coin-Controller and Telephone-Registers; and we hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,

Our invention relates to an apparatus which is especially designed to register the number of coins which are placed in a telephone or other apparatus of this description and to at the same time indicate that a coin has been placed in the slot and registered for purposes of communication.

It consists, essentially, in details of construction, which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view showing my invention applied to one form of registering mechanism. Fig. 2 is an end view of the hand-lever and its connections. Fig. 3 is a modification of the actuating device.

The object of our invention is to construct a register which we have here shown as applicable for use in connection with coin-controlled telephones and by which the apparatus remains disconnected and incapacitated for use until a coin has been placed in the proper chute and which will then release the instrument, so that it can be operated and will register the fact when the operation has been completed. The construction is also such that the full stroke of the registering mechanism must be madebefore the parts can return to their normal position.

Various forms of registering devices may be employed in conjunction with our apparatus, the essence of the register being the arrangement of a series of wheels or disks each carrying numbers from 1 to 10 and a means for intermittently advancing the first until the ten figures have been successively exposed and then acting to move a figure upon the second and so on in the usual manner for registers.

In the present case we have shown a series of superposed disks A, lugs B upon the disks, and a pawl C, which is turnable about the so as to advance it one figure and so on throughout all the disks to the periphery. The pawl C is long enough to engage with all of the concentric-figured numbered disks and is fixed upon the lever-arm D, the fulcrum of which is here shown as being centrally of the disks. Around the fulcrum-point and, as here shown, forming a part with the pawl-lever is a circular disk orhead E. In the periphery of this disk is a notch F, and this notch is normally engaged by a hook-lever G, fulcrumed at H, so that one end of the lever will engage with the notch in the periphery of the disk, while the other end is controlled by the action of a coin. This control by the coin may either be effected by the .weight of the coin striking the end of the lever-arm, or, as shown in Fig. 3, it may be effected by forcing the coin between a lever D and a fixed point as it is inserted into the chute, through which it is guided to the receptacle and to which it eventually passes. In every casethe movement of a lever acts to release the pawl-carrying lever D or D and allow it to complete its movement.

Fixed with suitable relation to the registering mechanism and also to the lever D is a segmental rack I,'the teeth of which are presented, so as to be engaged by a pawl J, which is carried by the lever-arm D. The leverarm D projects through the side of the containing-case at. any suitable or convenient point, so that it may be grasped bythe hand of the operator when he desires to complete a call, and whenever the coin has been dropped into the chute, as described, and the pawlcarrying lever D released the lever may then be moved about in the arc of a circle sufficiently to advance the registering-disks and at the same time to indicate at the central office that the coin has been inserted. This indication is made by the completion of an electrical circuit and the usual light or other signal at the central office. It is effected by means of a curved strip L, which is carried by the lever D, and the end of this strip forms a contact with the free end of a spring-plate 4, one end of which is fixed and connects with a circuit-wire 2, while the other end is free and lies in the plane of a contact 5, to which the other circuit-wire 3 is connected. The curved strip L, being carried down by the lever D, engages the free end of the springplate 4 and presses it againstthe contact 5, which establishes a circuit and produces a light or other signal in the central ofiice when the lever has fully completed its stroke. The strip L also acts as a guard and closure for the slot in which the lever D moves, and thus prevents any tampering with the mechanism through this opening.

In order to prevent the lever D being drawn back without fully completing its stroke, the pawl J, carried by the lever D, is arranged to engage with the curved rack I in such a manner as to allow the lever D to be moved forward after it has been released by the coincontrolled lever G, but which will prevent the lever from being drawn back until it has completed its full stroke and has formed the contact by the arm L, as previously described. Atthis instant the pawl J is raised by an incline I at the end of the curved rack I, and when thus raised it is engaged by a holdingarm 0, which retains it out of contact with the rack I, and thus allows the lever D to be drawn back. When the lever is thus drawn back so far that the pawl C will engage another of the lugs 13, the pawl I is disengaged from the device which holds it by the action of a presser-rod P, which is carried by the lever D and is slidablc in a guide upon the lever. As the lever is drawn back the end of this rod strikes a stop Q, and is thus forced forward until it disengages the contacts with the holder 0 and disengages the pawl J, allowing it to again drop into contact with the rack I in readiness for another stroke of the lever D. In this manner each time that a coin is introduced into the apparatus it acts either by gravitation or pressure upon the lever G and through this lever to disengage the lever D, by which the indicating-disks are revolved, as previously described.

The pawl 0, carried by the lever D, is pressed downwardly by a spring, as shown at R, so as to insure its engaging with the lugs upon the disks at each movement of the lever, and the disks are in turn prevented from returning by springs S, which engage with notches a in the disks for that purpose.

Although we have described the invention as especially applicable to coin -controlled telephones, it will be manifest that the device will be equally useful in conjunction with an y similar apparatus which is controlled by the introduction of a coin and in which it is desirable to register the operation.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In an apparatus of the character described, a series of registering-disks, a pawlcarrying lever fulcrumed so that by its forward and backward movement it advances the disks to register the movements, a pawland-ratchct mechanism by which the lever is prevented from returning until the forward motion is completed,a latching-lever by which the lever is retained in its normal position when it has been returned thereto, said latching-lever being disengaged when a coin is introduced into the apparatus.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a series of registering-disks, a pawlcarrying lever fulcrumed so that by its forward and backward movement it advances the disks to register the movements, a pawland-ratchet mechanism by which the leveris prevented from returning until the forward movement is completed, a guard-plate carried by the lever and forming a closure for the slot through which the lever projects, electrical contacts, one of which is in the line of travel of the guard-plate, and a switch actuated by said guard-plate at the end of its for ward movement to close the circuit.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a series of registering-disks, a pawlcarrying lever fulcrumed so that by its forward movement it advances the disks to register the movement, a stop mechanism carried by the lever, by which the latter is prevented i'rom returning until the forward movement is completed, contact-points with which wires from a central office connect, a spring switch-plate, one end of which is permanently connected with one of said cont-actpoints, and the other end movable in line with the other contact-point, a plate connected and reciprocable in unison with the movements of the register-actuating lever, said plate actingto force the free end of the springplate against said other contact-point whereby a circuit is completed and the central office notified after the coin has been introduced and the forward movement of the lever completed.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

TOBIAS J. HOOK. EMIL HAPPERSBERGER.

lVitnesses:

S. H. NoURsE, Jnssin C. BRODIE. 

